“There's a lot of post-traumatic stress disorder after an
event like this, and some students end up having problems with
grades,” says Steven L. Dubovsky, MD, professor and chair of
the Department of Psychiatry at the University at Buffalo.

“The best response in treating students and
survivors depends on what resources exist within the community and
how people feel about discussing what happened with outside
experts,” he adds.

“When survivors are interviewed on TV about the death of
friends and classmates it is rarely helpful, and sometimes harmful,
because it evokes more distress and arousal without resolving
anything.

“The best approach often is to strengthen the sense of
community; help the students finding meaning and identify something
positive coming out of the tragedy if possible.”

Amanda Nickerson, PhD
Director, University at Buffalo Alberti Center for Bullying Abuse
Prevention
Associate Professor, Dept. of Counseling, School and Educational
Psychology
University at Buffalo
nickersa@buffalo.edu
Contact: John DellaContrada
dellacon@buffalo.edu or 716-361-3006

Nickerson’sresearch focuses on
preventing and intervening with school crises, violence and
bullying.

“It’s important that we not start talking about this
as an epidemic where schools are violent places where we need to
take extreme measures to protect,” says University at Buffalo
faculty member Amanda Nickerson, an expert on school violence and
bullying. “We need to focus on the tragedy of the situation
and empathy for students, families and community.

She has also researched the critical role of schools, parents
and peers in promoting social-emotional strengths of children and
adolescents. Nickerson has written four books, 50 book chapters and
journal articles, and has conducted more than 200 presentations. As
a licensed psychologist and certified school psychologist, she is
committed to translating research into effective prevention and
intervention practices that promote youth strengths.

According to Nickerson, there isn’t a "profile" of a
school shooter. “We do know that the study of school shooters
has shown that almost all are male, and most have a history of
loss, perceived failure or rejection, and mental health problems
(many are depressed and suicidal, themselves). Access to firearms
is also another risk factor. Given that there is no reliable
profile, the recommended strategy is to use a threat assessment
approach to assess the threat someone poses (based on facts,
behaviors, as opposed to traits). This involves finding out the
threat a person poses (plans, means to carry out plans, etc.), risk
factors, protective factors.”

Surviving children and faculty are likely to be going through an
extremely difficult time, Nickerson says. “With a
crisis like this, it is to be expected that they will feel anger,
sadness, anxiety; they may also feel numb; it is also common to
have problems eating, sleeping, and concentrating. Recovery is to
be expected though. These are normal reactions to tragic events. It
is important for them to have accurate information about what
happened and to know their reactions are normal, and to seek social
support from their loved ones and community. As for parents talking
to their children, I would recommend you look at the National
Association of School Psychologists' resources (http://www.nasponline.org/resources/crisis_safety/terror_general.aspx)
that emphasize the need to be available to children, answer their
questions, ensure that they are safe and perceive that they are
safe, limit exposure to the media coverage of the incident and try
to encourage a routine. Schools do many of the same things parents
do, in providing facts, answering questions, ensuring safety and
encouraging a routine.”